My Latest Review

[zuludog]

This morning I had my first diabetic review since mid - February. I thought you might like to see the results, and some comments

My HbA1c was about 78 or 79 in mid 2017; this morning it was 51
After that high result I was more careful about my diet- controlling carbs and trying to lose weight; my own changes at first; then from New Year this year being stricter, but still of my own making; then changing to a diet scheme since 3rd Aug
The figure did reduce gradually during 2018 & 2019, and again since Feb 2020
Hopefully it will reduce a bit more in future

Earlier this year my weight was stuck at about 90kg, and I couldn't seem to shift it
I started a diet scheme on 3rd Aug at 89,3 kg This morning I was 85,8kg
My initial target was 85kg and it looks like I'll get to that, so maybe I'll get to my ultimate target of 80kg, though I'd be happy to be <82kg
Then the real hard work will start - losing weight is relatively easy, but the problem will be keeping it off

In Jan my BP was typically around 140/68. Pulse about 70
This morning it was 129/58, which is the high end of normal; hopefully it will decrease a bit as I lose more weight Pulse = 64
I take Lisinopril for BP and will continue until I need to change

Cholesterol. Here are some figures & targets I've copied from t'Net, followed by mine this morning -

Total...........................5 or below......................4,7
HDL (good)...............1 or above......................1,5
LDL (bad)..................3 or below..................... 2,7
Non HDL (bad) .........4 or below......................3,2
Triglycerides............. 2,3 or below...................1,19

They are acceptable, though total is a bit on the high side.
But it is still acceptable; I stopped taking Statins as I was getting side effects, and will carry on like this until I need to change

For a long time my diabetes medication was 1 X Metformin each morning; 3 X 20 Novorapid daily; 1 X 28 Glargine in the evening
With this diet scheme I'm eating less food, and certainly less carbs so I've changed to -

1 X Metformin; 3 X 10 Novorapid; 1 X 16 Glargine

Liver Function and Renal Profile both normal and acceptable

I've stopped drinking alcohol
This is part of the diet scheme, but I had cut down to next nothing before that anyway; no special reason, I just got bored with it, and now I find I don't really miss it

 

[Ditto]

Congrats, well done. 🙂

 

[Vonny]

Great results @zuludog you must be well-chuffed with reduction in both weight and hba1c, and the great cholesterol reading...you say you'd like it lower than 4.7 but I'd be over the moon with that!

 

[HenryBennett]

All great stuff. It’s very interesting to read all that and thanks for taking the time. You’ve done exceptionally well and it encourages the rest of us.

What do you do about exercise? I’m interested because I had my first proper evaluation at the cardiac rehab centre this morning and I thought hard before going as to what I want to get out of it. On the heart forums you get lots of willy waving - people telling everyone else they’re going to run a marathon, half marathon, get super fit etc etc. I want to be, and remain, WELL - not super fit.

 

[zuludog]

Hello Henry, thanks for your interest

Exercise is a problem at the moment as I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing myself, so please excuse me if this reply carries on a bit

I've always gone hiking, hillwalking,& backpacking, though this has slowed down as I've got older - I'm 70 now
About 18 months ago my legs started to ache when I did any walking; after only a couple of miles my calves were very painful and I had to keep stopping & resting. I could tell that this was something more than just being unfit
Even walking round the shops brought on a bit of a twinge & throbbing
I thought it was Intermittent Claudication, but I had an investigation at the local vascular clinic and got a clean bill of health
That left me and my GP with a puzzle

Then came Covid-19 and the Lockdown, and I didn't do much exercise at all , but I can tell that although I'm OK for everyday walking around, there's still some aching
I didn't completely self isolate, but I spent most of the time indoors, only going to the supermarket or local shops once or twice a week, and I must admit that I spent some time just sitting around feeling sorry for myself

But only about 2 weeks ago I realised that this cannot go on for ever, and Covid or not, I must do something while there's a bit of summer left, otherwise winter will be upon us and by next spring I'll have stayed indoors for a year
And, of course, this will help with weight loss and feeling better

I've started doing some half forgotten Canadian Airforce Exercises that I did years ago; without much enthusiasm at first, but I've got into a routine now
Speaking of enthusiasm, I've always wanted to do 'proper' walks, and never enjoyed wandering around just for the sake of it
However, I need to get some fresh air & exercise, and I must work with what I can manage, so I've started doing some very short, easy walks -

Instead of driving to the supermarket & shops I'm walking by a longer, more circuitous route
This is made easier by the fact that with my new diet scheme I'm hardly buying any food at the moment, and no booze, so I only need a shopping bag or a small rucsac

Similarly I'm visiting all my local pubs, one at a time; and no, I'm not sinking 15 pints in each one!
But I can have a coffee or a low alcohol lager, and gradually explore parts of the town and local paths that I hardly ever go to

Alright, here are some suggestions, and apologies if you think I'm either telling you what to do, or talking down to you

There are loads of books, leaflets, magazine articles about indoor exercises, or Search YouTube

Get an Ordnance Survey 1: 25000 Explorer map of your local area and do just that - find local paths, various routes to local places & landmarks, and build it up from there
Take a camera and/or keep a diary so you'll have something to look back on

See if your local sports/health centre do things like walks for health. There was a scheme called Walks 4 Life, but I think it has suffered from the Lockdown
Consider The Ramblers Association, or find a local rambling club, though they too are probably affected

Walk to the shops, the bank, and so on by a longer route

A friend enjoys swimming, and does umpteen lengths 2 or 3 times a week, though I don't know how the Lockdown has affected that

A couple of friends go cycling; either around their local area, or one of them has a Brompton folding bike and takes it further on the train or coach
They do this on their own or in small groups

Hope this is of some use.
I think whatever you do, it must be because you want to do it, and not because you feel you have to

 

[HenryBennett]

Hi inja yezulu,

Thanks for the further insights. Whilst I hate overuse of the word “journey” on TV (everyone it seems is on a ******* journey), I am very interested to follow the journey that fellow diabetes folk are on. There are any number of affected people in this group who I can learn from - @Anitram is one who comes to mind (forgive me for not mentioning all the others but Martin’s profile is also reasonably similar to mine).

No need to apologise for making suggestions when we’ve never met face to face. I walk a lot and am interested to know what you do, and that was interesting. Mention of the Canadian Airforce training took me back as it was very popular in my university days (mid 70’s).

I’m trying to establish if just walking is sufficient given that I’m not only getting my BG down but also trying to mitigate heart disease. The British Heart Foundation has a series of exercise videos on YouTube that go rather further than I’d enjoy. As you point out we ought to do it because we want to. The nurses at the cardiac rehab centre and my heart failure nurse have sidestepped my questions - they probably don’t have the answer.

So I keep it simple. I walk five to six miles a day on even pavement whilst listening to music or podcasts. There are any number of beautiful walks nearby so I’ve a good choice. Just across the road is a pair of reservoirs and just beyond a golf course. When it’s wet though it’s very muddy and slippery and if I’m having to concentrate on the surface I lose track of the podcast.

I’m a slave to my Apple Watch - it’s being updated regularly and for heart health the latest iteration (on order) is second to none. I aim to close the rings every day even though for the exercise ring I only walk.

IMO we need to get into the habit of being outdoors now so it’s less hard when winter comes. Re the leg pain, are you taking statins?

 

[zuludog]

Hello Henry, thanks for your reply

Yes, it's interesting, especially on a forum like this, to see how other people are dealing with things, problems, and life in general
Similarly on a hobby forum we can swap ideas and advice on more technical stuff from all over the world
However, I'm always wary of steering a line between offering information & advice, and taking over or telling people what to do

Yes, 'a journey'. I hadn't realised till you pointed it out what a cliche it is; and the other one is 'a project'

Sorry but I can't advise you on anything specifically for heart disease, other than the usual healthy stuff about diet, no smoking, and so on

Though I say so myself, I was pretty fit when I was in my 20s & 30s, doing a lot of hillwalking & Munro bagging, summer & winter; and Canadian Airforce Exercises
Canadian Airforce is a bit dated now, but it's still exercise

Well now I must accept the position I'm in, and try to make the best of it
Your current walking trips are more than i'm doing at the moment, so that's some inspiration for me to do more

Statins - I was prescribed Atorvastatin soon after I was diagnosed with T2 in 1998, and that was fine till I got the statin aches years later, and stopped taking them in 2013 I think
I put it to my doctor that given the choice between aching and feeling miserable, I'd rather take my chances without statins
His reply was along the lines of' 'I'm not supposed to agree with you......but I do'
That did give me the incentive to be more careful about my food, and do more exercise, and that went well till I got this strange aching
I really must see the doc and chase it up

The other thing to work on is my hobbies - model planes, knife making, and leatherwork.
This Lockdown was great at first and I got a lot done, but then the novelty wore off, and it's difficult to recall how I spent my time
Well as I implied, I gave myself a good talking to, and I've started again, but there are so many things to do, and we fall into another cliche, about retirement-
"I don't know how I had the time to go to work"

That's it for now; I hope to report more weight loss in the near future

 

[Northerner]

Great results 🙂 Well done! Good luck with continuing success 🙂

 

[HenryBennett]

that was fine till I got the statin aches years later, and stopped taking them

I’m not a proponent of alternative medicines but am open minded as regards natural remedies, and find that Co-Q10 helps me with joint pains and muscle aches.

 

[zuludog]

I’m not a proponent of alternative medicines but am open minded as regards natural remedies, and find that Co-Q10 helps me with joint pains and muscle aches.

That's interesting, I've heard about Co-Q10 before, but I was reluctant to take it as I wasn't sure if it would do any good, but I think I'll try them
Thanks

 

[HenryBennett]

That's interesting, I've heard about Co-Q10 before, but I was reluctant to take it as I wasn't sure if it would do any good, but I think I'll try them
Thanks

My experience:-
Many years ago my wife started taking Co-Q10 for hip and knee joint pain and I wasn’t convinced - until some years later I had terrible knee joint pain, left knee only. I swallowed my pride along with the Co-10, and it really did work for me. When I was in hospital in February they changed most of my meds and put me on Metformin so when I got home I stopped taking the Co-Q10. After a week or so I got aches and pains, especially in my legs and pushed through it for a couple of weeks before remembering that I’d stopped the Co-Q10. I started taking it again and the aches and pains went.

However, the heart failure nurse has been tweaking my meds - increasing Losartan, and in the CCU they doubled my statin (it’s the size of a suppository!). I’m now having low level muscular leg pain and plan to ask my GP to review the statin dose.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Congratulation on your results and improvements @zuludog and the weight loss.

Hope things continue going well for you.

 

[zuludog]

More good news!

I had a phone call from my DSN yesterday afternoon to say they had been looking at my results and would I be able to come in for a quick ECG?

That was this morning, and although I will have to wait for the official results by letter, she said "it all looks fine to me".

I'm trying to resist the temptation to weigh myself too often, but this morning I was 85,6kg
So that's a 200g reduction since Wednesday; not much, which is fair enough, but it is downwards

Holland & Barrett sent me a voucher last week which I have yet to use, so I'll go into town this afternoon and buy some CoQ10 tablets

If anyone's interested, while I was at the doc's I saw a notice for www.upandactive.co.uk an exercise scheme for cardiac rehabilitation and weight loss, though I don't know any more about it

We had a discussion about aspirin as I have been taking that daily for months, if not years
It seems that opinions have changed, and that for anyone "doing well" the side effects outweigh the benefits, and I should stop taking it
OK, so I'll stop that from tomorrow

 

[trophywench]

The link you gave invites you to identify where you live, and the only places offered are ooop north - Pendle and places like that. Hence I assume they're the only places where it's available. I'm hardly darn sarf, smack in the middle, me!

 

[grovesy]

The link you gave invites you to identify where you live, and the only places offered are ooop north - Pendle and places like that. Hence I assume they're the only places where it's available. I'm hardly darn sarf, smack in the middle, me!

Another of these things are very local even on line ones.

 

[Bloden]

Nice work! Well done @zuludog on the great results. 🙂

 

[zuludog]

The link you gave invites you to identify where you live, and the only places offered are ooop north - Pendle and places like that. Hence I assume they're the only places where it's available. I'm hardly darn sarf, smack in the middle, me!

Well as I live in Pendle that would explain it!
But I'm sure there will be similar schemes around the country

 

[grovesy]

Well as I live in Pendle that would explain it!
But I'm sure there will be similar schemes around the country

Not always.